CHARLOTTE — In one of her last acts as superintendent, Dr. Crystal Hill sent an email to county manager Mike Bryant warning him that the questionable financial transactions at the center of the SBI review were made with funds provided by Mecklenburg County.
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Tuesday night is the first discussion of the ongoing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools controversies by Mecklenburg County commissioners.
“As county manager, my priority is to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and resources,” Bryant said. “I am aware of the information about alleged financial irregularities at CMS that is being reviewed by the state auditor, as well as the criminal investigation underway by the SBI. In the meantime, I am also exploring what options might be available to the county should these investigations reveal that County dollars were misused by CMS.”
In some ways, the county commission has oversight of the CMS Board because commissioners provide CMS with funding.
The county’s FY27 budget provided CMS with more than $899 million.
One of the ongoing controversies with CMS is a contract that sends money to a consultant named Raki McGregor. The former superintendent questioned the arrangement and whether the board knew. He and his wife Kim previously held contracts with the school district.
Bryant says the county has not provided any funding to McGregor’s company, Qonnect. But he says the county previously had contracts with Kim McGregor’s company, SYDKIMYL. He says between 2020 and 2025, the county provided SYDKIMYL with $3.1 million for behavioral health services. But the county cut off the contracts last year. Bryant says county leadership perceived that SYDKIMYL was “double-dipping” by receiving funding from the county, as well as CMS. They also viewed McGregor’s role as an employee of SYDKIMYL as a conflict of interest.
The county also questioned the effectiveness of SYDKIMYL.
Take 2024, for example: The county gave the company more than $682,000. The county says SYDKIMYL provided classroom instruction at six schools, serving about 1,600 children at a cost of $313 per child. Vendor data indicates only 4% -7% of students reported improved social-emotional skills after four months. The company also had a workforce development contract for tutoring. The company was operating at a cost of about $1,500 per student. In May 2025, county leadership told commissioners the company only served 20 out of the expected 50 students in its contract. The county then found a different vendor that would serve more students.
Mecklenburg County commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the controversies.